Anies Realizes Flood Megaphones Are Ineffective, He Asked His Staffs to Not Buy it Again

Gubernur DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan (Foto: Humas DKI Jakarta)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor, Anies Baswedan, said that the flood warning was ineffective. Anies emphasized that the megaphone is not an early warning system.

"It is not an early warning system, it is a megaphone. The early warning system is like this: the Transportation Service, Health Service, MRT, Satpol PP, all of them would know which areas are at risk. So we'll be ready before the incident," said Anies in the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government YouTube account on Friday, August 7.

Anies thought that the installation of megaphones - worth IDR 4 billion - in 15 flood-prone urban villages, has not helped him for the initial handling when the floods came.

"Today, if there is an incident, it will be as if this is the first flood. We are handling it ad hoc. In fact, this land has been flooded for decades," he said.

Anies then talked about the procurement of megaphones that were bought from Japanese companies. According to Anies, the sales company marketing strategy was successful.

"These megaphones are the best (Japanese) promotion method. Grant first, procurement later.  Their strategy was successful. We'll continue to buy from Japan," he said.

Anies said that the use of megaphone is more suitable in Japan. Megaphone is effective to warn the residents when a potential tsunami arrives.  This condition is different from Jakarta. The Jakarta flood problem, according to Anies, can be predicted from the state of water flows upstream.

"If the Katulampa Dam reaches Jakarta, how many hours? What kind of device that we could use to announce it? All kinds of things. Need procurement? No," said Anies to his subordinates.

Therefore, Anies asked the DKI Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) not to spend any more budget on the provision of flood megaphone. For now, an early warning of floods can be done from the mosque hall and the WhatsApp application.

"Stop the megaphone procurement. This megaphone is already there, it's already used. But, don't add it. Instead of build a megaphone, build the system," he said.

A flood warning megaphone is budgeted by the DKI Provincial Government in early 2020. A budget of IDR 4 billion is prepared to buy a toa for warning of high rainfall to residents in anticipation of flooding.

The figure of IDR 4 billion, among others, is to establish six expansion stations for early warning disasters for VHF radio transmissions. Each of them costs IDR 4.73 billion. Then, there are also 6 poles for Disaster Warning System, each of which is valued at IDR 53 million.

In the installation, there will be 4 megaphones in one set. It will be tied to poles. When the water level in the river reaches Alert III, the BPBD officer of each region will give an audible warning from the megaphones.